How often to practice yoga?
People often ask – “how many times a week should I be doing yoga”? It takes time to figure out and build up the right yoga routine and it can change over time. Even as a teacher, I am always assessing my schedule. There is no simple or easy answer because ‘enough’ depends on why you practice yoga and your goal or purpose.
Firstly it’s helpful to define yoga, which isn’t straightforward and has varying definitions (it has evolved over 2,000 years). Originating in Ancient India, "yoga" comes from the Sanskrit root "yuj," meaning to yoke or unite – uniting the individual self with universal consciousness or God (not necessarily a religious god).
Yoga can be practised in many different ways – through meditation (dhyāna) postures (āsana), breathwork (prānāyāma), behaviours, and action. In the modern day the most common way to practice is through physical postures (although this is quite a Western-centric view) and there are many different styles.
Why do you practice?
You might want to cultivate a deeper sense of connection to the self and foster a sense of peace. You might focus more on the physical posture practice, where the benefits can improve flexibility, strength, balance, and posture. This can also help reduce pain, stiffness, and tension in the body. Other reasons for practicing are the mental benefits – reducing stress, anxiety, depression, and other mental health areas. You may practice to improve your focus, concentration, and overall well-being.
The practice of yoga can be done anytime anywhere, depending on your resources and what type of yoga you desire. If you want a guided practice, a lot of classes will be around an hour however some classes (such as meditation) can be 5 minutes. Guided classes can be taken online or in a physical yoga studio.
It's important to listen to your body
My advice would be not to overwhelm yourself and start small. For example, if you are new, and are looking into classes that are quite physical based and say one hour – try out once a week and see how that goes. If you feel you have the capacity and desire to add more to your week, maybe increase to two or three per week. Some people practice every day. But it’s important to remember we all have different individual needs.
Listen to your body (which is key to yoga practice) and if needed adjust the frequency and duration of your yoga practice according to your lifestyle – check in on your energy each week and asses how the practice is benefiting you. Keep coming back to why you practice.